Mike Mickens Scouting Report

Mike Mickens, CB, Cincinnati

Mike Mickens is only 6-0 and 190 pounds, but he is still a physical corner back who is not afraid to play tough against any wide receiver. It did not take long for Mickens to earn a starting job at Cincinnati. By the time his freshman campaign began, the Huber Heights, Ohio product was starting. Throughout his first three seasons with the Bearcats, Mickens was named to a multitude of all-conference teams and tallied ten interceptions. His size should not be a big deal at cornerback, but some teams could look elsewhere in favor of a bigger player. But Mickens' cover abilities are among the best in the nation and he plays a lot strong than he looks and that should be enough to make up for his size. Right now Mickens is among the best corners in the nation when projecting to the NFL. If he continues putting up numbers in 2008 like he did throughout the rest of his career, there is no reason for him not to be a first or second round selection in April. With a big year from Mickens and Cincinnati (and a solid showing at the combine), he could end up being one of the top two or three senior corners in the draft. 12/17 Update: Mickens missed the last two games of the regular season with a knee injury and could miss Cincinnati's trip to the Orange Bowl to take on Virginia Tech on New Year's Day. Despite missing three total games on the year, Mickens was third on the team with 65 tackles and led the squad with four interceptions. He will have to prove that his knee injury is behind him at the combine, but Mickens will still be a second round selection (at the worst) if his injury is not an issue. 2/12 Update: So far Mickens has not been able to put his knee issues behind him. Everybody expected him to be ready to go for Senior Week, but he had to leave due to inflammation in his knee. That will drop him down quite a bit for now (likely into the second or third round), but he still has the NFL Combine to show that he is healthy. If he is healthy, he still has first round talent.